The Network ( Book One of the Grounders Series )

11

Dedicated to natalie72383 for reading and giving me feedback on every part of the book.

"We need to steal a map of the Detention so we have something the start with," Cicada says, as Jonah kneels down to hoist her to the crack.

I watch as she steps into his tightly woven fingers with one foot, and then straighten out her leg, using the other foot to balance herself.

I am standing idly behind her, waiting patiently if she falls. She finds purchase in the groves along the crack and hoists herself bodily up.

Since I'm about two heads taller than Jonah, I push her up further so the struggle is lessened. Eventually she makes it through the crack and disappears above.

"Okay, who's next?" Jonah asks.

I'm not sure if he has the strength to lift me, but I do have the height to get myself up there.

pI lace my fingers together and lower them so he can step up. I let him place has grimy foot on my bare shoulder. I lift him into the air with no effort and he hold tightly onto the grooves in the stone. He's never been the strongest physically so it takes both Cicada and I to get him through the crack.

"Sorry guys," he says quickly after he's above, "I've been working out a bit."

"It's alright," Cicada and I say in unison as I back away from the crack in the roof of the tunnel, hoping to get a good running start.

I am about to start running when an icy chill crawls up my spine.

Give up now, Alaric, or your friends will die with you when I'm finally free, the voice says within my head. Is there anywhere he can't appear? What kind of power does he actually posses? What are we facing? I hadn't even stopped to think what we were actually going against, what I was bringing Cicada and Jonah into.

Surprisingly, I don't feel fear. Instead rage burns within me. "You don't scare me. All you are is a coward that possesses children to fight his battles." I say aloud, feeling courageous at my words.

I believe in what I'm doing, Alaric. Your lack of confidence will be your downfall.

I am too angry to care about his threats. I just charge, leaping high into the air and gripping the edge of the crack. My nails push painfully into my cuticles as I struggle to keep purchase and hold on.

I pull myself bodily up, my arms trembling under the strain of my weight. I move my hand up so I can bring my knee onto the tiny ledge. I stand tall. The crack is only as deep as my knees so I step out easily.

Once we are all out of the tunnels, we immediately begin down the alley. The streets will no doubt be crawling with soldiers as the Council tries to sort through what happened outside. I can't be seen. I know for a fact someone has made the connection that they attacked just before I was executed. They'd want me killed, even more than before.

Maybe I'll let them kill you, the Dragon says inside my head. I gave you a choice, Alaric Constantine. You chose to die.

Somehow that fuels my courage. He wants to scare me but if he actually lets the people try to kill me, that means he's afraid we can defeat him. He's not as certain of his victory as he lets on.

We creep through the alley, keeping our feet light.

There are no torches, so I press my hand against the wall and click my tongue. The details come into focus, the chips in the stone, the discarded piece of wood littered across the floor of the alley.